WASHINGTON, May 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On May 30(th), nephrologists and kidney patients from across the country will convene in Washington to participate in the Renal Physicians Association's

Kidneys are the organs in the body that regulate blood pressure, electrolytes, acid-base homeostasis and other homeostatic functions.
Formation and Orientation
Kidneys can be found in the abdominal cavity, one on each side of the spine in the retroperitoneum, located at the back of the abdominal cavity. Kidneys are usually 11 to 14 centimeters long, six centimeters wide and four centimeters thick.
The parenchyma of the kidney is made up of the renal cortex and the renal medulla....

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is the noninvasive treatment of kidney stones, stones in the gallbladder as well as calcium build ups in the liver using acoustic pulses.
Procedure
A lithotriptor breaks up the calcium stones without damage being done to the patient through the use of high-intensity, externally-applied, focused acoustic pulses. By laying the patient down on their back and placing a water-filled coupling device under the back at the level of the kidneys, the...

A pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction.